BeReal: Changing the Social Media Landscape

Since its conception in 2020, the social media app BeReal has been downloaded 7.41 million times. 

As someone who is very familiar with various social media platforms, BeReal offers a unique experience that other apps do not. Therefore, it is not surprising that the app has grown so much in popularity.

BeReal has grown from 10,000 daily active users to 2.93 million daily active users in a little over a year. 

So what is BeReal and what makes it stand out from other social media platforms? 

What is BeReal?

As of May 2022, BeReal was the sixth most popular free social networking app in the United States in the Apple App Store. 

BeReal was founded in 2020 by CEO Alexis Barreyat and Kevin Perreau. 

The French entrepreneurs wanted to change the current social media landscape, making it more authentic and less fake. 

By prompting users to post a picture from their front and back camera once a day, Barreyat wants to combat the over-edited social media feeds everyone has grown accustomed to.

The app falls into the genre of “anti-Instagram” apps that push to make social media casual again. 

Unlike other platforms, there are no advertisements on the app. In fact, BeReal makes no money through the app.

According to CB Insights, the app was able to raise $30 million in its Series A funding round on June 7, 2021. 

How does BeReal Work?

Once a day at any given time, I get a notification on my phone prompting me that it is “Time to BeReal.” 

As pictured below, I then have two minutes to take a photo from my selfie and back camera. It is then uploaded to the platform where you can include your current location and add a caption. 

Keep in mind that you only have two minutes to take your photo and upload it to BeReal. 

You are able to view, comment and react to your friend’s posts as well, but only if you have posted your own BeReal that day.

To promote true transparency, you must take your pictures on the spot and your friends can see how many times you retake your photo. 

Everything posted on BeReal is taken at that moment with no room for filters, editing or touching up. 

You can add friends through your contacts or choose to post on a Discovery feed where strangers can see what you are doing.

Instead of striving for likes on apps like TikTok and Instagram, you only receive comments and RealMojis on your BeReal posts.

RealMojis are reactions that you can put on other posts by taking a photo of yourself in replacement of an emoji. 

My favorite feature of this app is the ability to look back at your memories. All of your posts are archived and you can look back at them any time you want. 

The Future of Social Media 

Moving forward, BeReal might be the beginning of a new social media movement that revolves around authenticity.

Instead of focusing on editing and filtering photos, BeReal encourages users to show what they are truly doing at that exact moment. 

Maybe BeReal will change the way people post on all platforms and make the social media landscape less fake in the future.